Sorting the benefits of recycling - from luxury dumpster diving to The Scrap Exchange

Due South

Digging in to the economic and environmental benefits of recycling in North Carolina
A consistent practice of recycling and reusing materials maintains the state’s recycling infrastructure and stimulates a circular economy. We talk to Matt James of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality about ways to strengthen individual and community recycling practices across the state.
Matt James, Recycling Program Analyst, NC Department of Environmental Quality

At The Scrap Exchange, secondhand goods turn into first-rate creations
When Heather Anne first walked into Durham's The Scrap Exchange, she thought to herself: "I've never been in a place like this before." The organization's dedication to creative reuse of secondhand items, community building, and environmentalism resonated for her, and Heather soon became a Scrap Exchange regular. These days, she's leading the organization through some changes, but at least one thing remains the same -- inside the Scrap’s barrels and bins of leftover fabric, yarn, broken jewelry, and "glorious junk" are countless opportunities for someone’s creativity to turn cast off old items into something new.
Heather Anne, Interim Executive Director at The Scrap Exchange

One reporter gets to the bottom of college student leftovers
Indy Week reporter Lena Geller salvaged $6,000 worth of luxury items from Duke students moving out of her apartment complex. She also found that Duke donates and tracks significantly more than similar private universities in the U.S.
Lena Geller, Staff Writer at The Indy Week